Neyland I (Formerly known as Gruden Thread)

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#527
#527
Grand Vol said:
The Grude News, the final broadcast. For those just tuning in.

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Well folks, it's over. While it's not quite the outcome we expected, we have closure. And what a ride it has been... Looking back to the times shared by many and the family we created here, these were certainly the best of times and the worst of times. Just when we thought it was the worst of times, new hope would arise for us to continue forward and make it the best of times. And it's beneficial to give one last "shout out" to those I have come to admire over the past couple of months. I thought about dropping it in the final Gruden thread, but think it's far more fitting here.

I promise not to make this entirely sound like an Oscar Award speech, but many thanks are needed in this final post.

First off, Freak for giving us a home for all the crazy people involved in this latest coaching search. I know he's still looking for the keys to that new yacht to park with the Vol Navy, but without him keeping this place up, it's likely we never would have connected like we have. Now, I know he loved the clicks he received from the massive amount of Gruden threads we created and contributed to, but he loves his Vols and let us run a little wild. So, special thanks to him are due first.

Additional thanks to SFD for her maniacal obsession with piecing things together and providing a forest instead of trees. Along those lines, HearForGrumors and other legal folks were also critical in helping translate the "lawyer-ese" into plain English the rest of us could comprehend and digest. Without fine (and sharp) folks like you and others, a lot of us would be bumbling around in the dark grasping at straws of "what does it all mean?!" You provided invaluable insight and analysis of the entire process and you cannot be thanked enough.

Extreme special thanks to Sara who helped get the ball rolling on our outrage campaign. Without true fans like yourself, we likely would have been stuck with a hire we did not want and the same old crap going on another five to ten years. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for rallying the troops here at VN for that cause.

And where to start with the rest of the list? So many old friends from the 2012 Grudenmania to the "newbies" that came on board for the latest saga that came together over the past couple of months. Duds, Mink, Boro, Faceless, MaTaLa, EG, Hawk, the elusive Bubba, Hillbilly, Exile (both of them) and I could go on. Truth is, I wouldn't even know where to start with the family that formed in these threads. From Preacher Webb's "list" to Doyle's Grudometer to Comb's well timed "Gruden to the Hill!" to Coasty's daily emotional roller coaster, we formed a family here that will last a lifetime. We were strangers on a random internet board when this first started so many years ago. But we now share something we can look back on and smile thinking about those crazy times and posts we all laughed at.

We laughed at the great gif wars and chuckled at the Night Shift before coming together to send a resounding GTFO to trolls and waited anxiously for the drive by Beaver sightings. Truly, we had the best of times in a dark time of UT football. We won't forget places like the Olive Garden or the fence at the airport or fights over hash browns at the Waffle House. I know I poked fun at more than one or two of you (here's looking at Volly and Behr) but I wouldn't have traded any of you for any amount of money...okay, maybe I would trade the trolls for whatever loose change was in someone's couch. But the rest of you? Solid gold. There's just too many things to mention all of them specifically, but everyone contributed to these threads to make them great.

As for me, I have enjoyed my time in these threads and would never look on it as wasted. Sometimes in life, little things come your way that spark one's creative instincts. I can only hope some of my "updates" have helped ease tensions, provided a chuckle or two and lightened the mood when we needed it. I thank everyone here for indulging me in my posts.

From the entire Volnation News Team, I'm Grand Vol and the final thoughts?

Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome. Arthur Ashe

And what a journey it has been for us.

Signing off.
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Well done my friend. I’m glad I left an impression on you. Didn’t even make honorable mention. Just like my sports career and dating life in high school. Good enough to not be remembered. 🤣

These were a highlight of the entire thread. I feel like i just walked back out of the closet from my 2 month trip to Narnia. (C.S. Lewis reference) Appreciate you’re work and let’s keep the friendship rolling!
 
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#528
#528
GV, your last addition to the news brought a tear even though I am but a simple period (.) in this thread at most. Agree, not a waste, even if others in my life might think otherwise. No words are adequate to describe my appreciation to you and everyone in these threads. We may not have gotten the whale, but I definitely got something I needed right now in my own life, a connection to Vols, hope for better things and a vision of what can happen when we come together for a purpose, even if misguided at times.

Thank you EVERYONE!

GO VOLS!🏉
 
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#533
#533
Charlie Kelly said:
I am as well. Apparently someone suggested I wasn't who I said I was (who was no one) and this happened.. All because I found your avatar attractive. I think that sums it up.
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Ah. Must’ve missed a post. Someone posted a reply to GV warning him I was a man pretending to be a woman. Have no idea what the basis for that was. But it’s the Grumor thread, we tend to get a lot of misinformation 😜
 
#534
#534
Leximax said:
Ah. Must’ve missed a post. Someone posted a reply to GV warning him I was a man pretending to be a woman. Have no idea what the basis for that was. But it’s the Grumor thread, we tend to get a lot of misinformation 😜
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You should date Charlie.
 
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#538
#538
Leximax said:
Ah. Must’ve missed a post. Someone posted a reply to GV warning him I was a man pretending to be a woman. Have no idea what the basis for that was. But it’s the Grumor thread, we tend to get a lot of misinformation 😜
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Seem like a woman to me. And more than attractive enough for me. Hope your day is going well counsel. You could probably get me to do anything at this point :)
 
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#539
#539
Im firmly convinced that Gruden likes to be wanted. But he ain't ever gonna get involved in a serious relationship. He will tease, flirt, maybe even get to second base and that's about the extent of it.
 
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#541
#541
BigOrangeVol29 said:
The “believe everything UT sells us” crowd is a part of the reason we’re here now. Until we demand excellence and accept nothing less we’ll be just like Vandy, Missouri, etc.
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Unless I know more about the behind the scenes, which I probably won't ever know, I can't blame Pruitt for anything, right place, right time and I'm not THAT disappointed that we didn't get Gruden but I am disappointed, greatly, that 3 beliefs that got crushed.
  1. Haslam's influence had been neutralized
  2. PM was truly invested in what's best for UT
  3. Phil was bringing VFL's to top level staff positions

THAT's what really pisses me off.
 
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#542
#542
BigOrangeVol29 said:
Won’t argue most coaches are jerks, but why are we simply settling for “the best we could supposedly” that’s why we’re here. Dooley was a panic hire and Jones was because Strong jilted us and Hart was in a hurry. I’m tired of just settling but like I said I will give him 3 years to prove me wrong. I’ll always support the players whether I like the coach or not.
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Dooley was a panic hire, but again, it was the best of the rest situation. Kiffin runs out on us at the 11th hour, with sanctions looming over the program. Also, only a year after the administration boots Fulmer in an ugly civil war. Which everyone knew was a sh*tshow between the athletic department, administration, trustees and boosters. Who is going to leave a job to take on that burden? So we get Dooley.

Then we try to hire again, but we have no talent on the roster. It's a rebuilding job which most Vol fans simply refuse to acknowledge. And we were rebuilding the athletic budget because if you recall, the athletic department was broke. Yes, big name candidates turned us down. But that was to be expected given the limitations, even at a place like Tennessee. $8 million alone was not going to lure a great coach.

My frustration: now we have talent, the athletic department budget is in a much better place, the SEC East is still weaker than the West, and I thought there was some stability. We COULD have gotten a proven winner if we played our cards right from the start. This was our first best opportunity to get the kind of coach you have been demanding given the circumstances surrounding the program since Fulmer left.

And we blew it.
 
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#543
#543
Apparently if you don't like seeing the University of Tennessee head coach swathed in Crimson, helping the Tide win national championships, you're a "negavol". Because he's going to waive his Alabama national title rings in those recruits faces and they'll come to Tennessee because of it.
 
#547
#547
apevol said:
I just wanna hear someone sing tennessee waltz capable of doing it with all the heartache it deserves after all this.
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How about hozier? Or just sing it with my own heartache? That should be sufficient.
 
#550
#550
Charlie Kelly said:
Seem like a woman to me. And more than attractive enough for me. Hope your day is going well counsel. You could probably get me to do anything at this point :)
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Don’t say that. Gimme an inch, I’ll take a mile.

I’m ok today. I’ve stepped off the ledge. Bright side is I can now do all the things I haven’t done during the coaching search bc I couldn’t put down my phone like: clean my house (and I’m OCD), get a manicure, unpack from thanksgiving, buy groceries (other than booze), and be productive at work. Speaking of work, better get to it.

Hope your day is good as well. And to all of volnation, thanks so much. This has been quite a ride. Be back after I’ve completed a respectable amount of work today but definitely during the presser!
 
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